Even if you’re not vegan, you really need to try Smoked Carrot Bacon! It’s a healthier alterative to the real thing and you might even fool some people!!
So, I have a question…
How do y’all feel about vegan stuff?
I was on the fence about it until I started thinking about the health benefits of eating vegan even once a week.
I’m not going to get into the moral/ethical issues behind veganism…probably because I’ve heard both sides and, although I have a harder time eating meat these days, the dairy and egg consumption is harder for me to wrap my head around. I’ve done a lot of research on both sides, yet I still don’t feel educated enough to make a statement either way. But, maybe that conversation is for another day.
Anyhow, I’m digressing.
Back to the “part-time vegan eating for a healthier you” conversation. I was asked if I could go vegan (even for one day a week) and be happy. I said “of course I can” but then I remembered how much I love brie. “Uh, ya, I don’t know”. But, really, one day a week? I can certainly manage that.
Well, until you really put your head around it, you really are doing it blindly. I mean, let’s say you’re planning breakfast. You know you can’t have a sausage mcmuffin, or scrambled eggs, or even a regular (milk) yogurt parfait. But you can have a bagel, right? You just have to make sure the dough has no dairy in it and you can’t butter your bagel or even put cream cheese on it. But, if you stop and think about what you can have, your options are endless…peanut butter and jelly, smashed avocado and salsa, grilled veggies from last night’s dinner. Now, your morning bagel has gotten so much more interesting, no?
I think going vegan once a week is a healthy option…of course because you will probably be eating more veggies. But, the mere fact that you have to stop and think about what you’re eating will allow you the time to make better choices (I’ve read a lot of research about the connection between stopping for a minute before you make a food choice and weight loss and healthier eating). Yes, you can be vegan and eat Doritos all day…and that’s not good. But if you choose to do this with an open mind and with a creative mindset to try new ways of eating your favourite foods, you might be pleasantly surprised.
This is where Jules Aron comes into the picture. She sent me her two books. Fresh and Pure is a book all about organically crafted beauty balms and elixirs (my daughter hijacked that one!!) but the Nourish and Glow book has a lot of yummy healthy foods to make yourself.
While I flipped through the book and was deciding which recipe to make, I thought, “if there is one thing that I could never have again (if I went vegan forever), what would make me the most sad?”.
Well, I didn’t have to think for very long…bacon!
I mean, if I never have another steak in my life, I would be perfectly fine. But bacon!?! It adds so much flavour to dishes. I’m not sure what I would do without it!
But, this bacon is different…it’s made with carrots!
Yup, you heard that right…carrots. And, although some might argue that these are carrot chips (which I guess they are), they have the crunch of bacon, the look of bacon and the liquid smoke give you the taste of bacon.
I swear!
What You’ll Need to Make Smoked Carrot Bacon:
- carrots
- liquid smoke
- aminos (or soy sauce)
- chili powder
- olive oil
Give it a shot…it literally takes minutes to throw together and you will shovel the whole lot into your mouth while you clean up your kitchen.
Let me (and Jules) know what you think. I really think this one is going to surprise you!!!
Smoked Carrot Bacon
Ingredients
- 4 medium carrots peeled
- 2 tbsp cold pressed olive oil
- 1 tbsp tamari or coconut aminos for soy-free I didn’t have either so I used soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp liquid smoke optional (but I think this made all the difference)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Slice the carrots using a mandolin or vegetable peeler (I used the peeler…it was perfect!)
- Mix all the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and add the carrots, turning them gently to coat with the sauce.
- Lay them, not overlapping, on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until golden.
